Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
September 12, 2006, Vol. 07-136

Registration Now Open for Training Teleconference: Countering Internalized Stigma among People with Mental Illnesses

The SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated With Mental Illness invites you to register now for a free teleconference training titled, "Countering Internalized Stigma among People with Mental Illnesses."

Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (Eastern Time)

Please pass this invitation along to interested friends and colleagues. Please note: Registration for this teleconference will close at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Monday, September 24, 2007.

We will email the telephone number for the training teleconference to all registered participants on Tuesday, September 25, 2007.

Training Summary

Stigma surrounding mental illnesses comes from many sources. Public stigma is a result of the general population's misconceptions about mental illnesses. Internalized stigma - the belief that you are weak or damaged because of your own illness - occurs when individuals assimilate social stereotypes about themselves as persons with serious mental illnesses.

Internalized stigma, like public stigma, negatively affects the lives of people with mental illnesses and hinders the recovery process. Internalized stigma can sometimes be the most difficult kind of stigma to fight. It may cause people to stop their treatment, isolate themselves from loved ones, or give up on things they want to do.

Please join us as we:

• Explore the different types of internalized stigma and factors that may lead to internalized stigma.
• Address how internalized stigma impacts the recovery process.
• Provide an overview of successful strategies that have been used to recognize and counter internalized stigma.

Send in Your Questions

We invite you to send in your questions related to internalized stigma in advance of the teleconference. Speakers will answer as many questions as possible during the teleconference. Please send your questions by e-mail to promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov. Please note that sending a question does not guarantee its inclusion in the teleconference. We will provide the speakers' contact information so that you may pursue your answer after the call. If you provide your name and organization at the time you ask your question, we may use it during the call. Anonymous questions also can be submitted.

Training Sponsor

This teleconference is sponsored by the SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center), a project of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The session is free to all participants.

Subscribe to receive this update by sending an e-mail to promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov, or by calling an ADS Center representative at 800-540-0320. To comment on the materials included in this update, please send e-mail to promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov, or write a letter to Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated with Mental Illness; Informational Updates; 11420 Rockville Pike; Rockville, MD 20852. To unsubscribe from this distribution list using the subscribed e-mail account, click here. To unsubscribe your address from a different e-mail account, send a message to Majordomo@listserve.shs.net with the following command in the message body: unsubscribe stopstigma [Your E-mail Address].

SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma
http://promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov

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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.